Kitchen Helper vs. Learning Tower

Guidecraft Kitchen Helper and Little Partners Learning Tower
If your looking for a stepstool for your toddler- here's a better long-term alternative that is safe. They look identical and do pretty much the same thing, but how do you choose between the two.  Now that my son is almost 2 he loves helping in the kitchen and being with everyone.  When I was pregnant it was hard to pick him up all the time to wash his hands and he kept trying to stand on his tippy toes and pull things off of the table and counter, which was dangerous. Then my friend told me about these products, but which one do you choose?


Click Here to see a video comparing the two products.  You decide.


I decided to go with the Little Partners Learning Tower. It's a little more expensive than the kitchen helper, but seemed more sturdy and can fit 2 kids, which is good for me since I have 2 now. The kitchen helper folds up so it's more convenient if you want to hide it away. I'll give you a full review once my son gets some use out of it.

My Favorite Strollers

Bob Duallie 12"Double Stroller

With a new baby and a toddler I need a double stroller.  For months I debated front and back or side by side.  In the end I stuck with the BOB, which is what I have now and got a Duallie Side by Side. The Bob Stroller with regular wheels is slightly cheaper, but I like the smaller size of the 12" and since I don't really use it for jogging I don't need the bigger wheels.   I just love how The BOB maneuvers, at first I thought it would be too heavy, but it's really easy to use and my husband loves it too.

But if you want to use it for your baby you need the infant car seat adapter which also allows you to add a snack tray for your toddler which comes with it.

Inglesina Umbrella Stroller

This is the stroller I use for quick trips, travel and when I was pregnant and couldn't lift the Bob out of the car.  It's inexpensive, lightweight, and it reclines slightly.  I debated between this and Maclaren, but in the end I'm glad I went with Inglesina, especially with the recall.

Graco Snap n Go Stroller

This is what I used for my son until about 5 months and now my daughter when they can sit up in a regular stroller.  I just snap in my Graco Snugride Car Seat and I'm all set.

How to Induce Labor Naturally

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Happy New Year! So I finally had my baby-4 days late, which isn’t that long, but since it was my second baby and I was expecting her to come early, everyday got more and more frustrating. Texts and e-mails-"Any baby yet?" No, not yet! I didn’t want to induce and my doctor had scheduled one that week depending on how my tests went as far as amniotic fluid levels and size. So I was feeling the pressure. Everything looked okay so far there was no reason yet to start the pitocin. I started searching for ways to induce naturally. The most common suggestions are of course walking, sex, spicy foods, etc. Here's a link for more suggestions. I was really big and heavy and my back was hurting, but I walked and walked. This is me at the zoo three days before I finally gave birth. I was getting contractions and thought today is the day. People were looking at me funny. Then nothing-it was false labor, but a few days later I gave birth to healthy 9 lb. 8oz. girl. Yikes!
Acupressure points video 
I don’t know if any of these methods actually worked. But the night before I went into labor I did acupressure massage, self visualization, and danced with my husband for an hour.  So if you are waiting like I was and getting frustrated you might want to give it a try. Can't hurt.  For my birth story checkout my blog "A Nurse Delivered My Baby" on MomLogic. 

Nursery to Transportation Toddler Room

Now that my son's crib was passed down to his baby sister, what do I do with him?  He had outgrown his turquoise and mocha beach theme nursery and was ready for a "sort of" big kid room. But since he is only 19 months he's not ready for a toddler room yet and I'm not ready for him to crawl out of bed on his  own -so that meant another crib.

So I decided to get a convertible crib in espresso-Baby's Dream Serenity. So soon it will convert to toddler bed and then with new rails a twin bed. Then instead of a changing table I bought a dresser.

For all his toys I needed storage. I love this 6-Cube Bookcase
in espresso filled with canvas storage bins and metal buckets all from The Land of Nod to pull all the colors together.

As a tribute to his love of trucks and trains I went with a transportation theme. What is it with boys and thier choo choo's ? He can't get enough.  Notice how I left a few of his white nursery items behind-so what if they don't match. It allowed me to leave a few of his baby things in the room.

I like to keep things simple, being pregnant I didn't want a whole remodel so I went with decals and art to change up the room and central theme colors of red and blue to go with the dark wood.

                                                               TheseTransportation Decals

are great, they are inexpensive, look good and peel right off like stickers and you can reuse them over and over in different locations.  I put them on the door, used them to dress up his trash can, and even made art work out of them. I just took some canvas painted them blue and red and put a decal on them.

I used canvas storage bins, a lamp, curtains, and personalized chair and other Land of Nod accessories to pull all the colors together.  He also loves his
transportation rug. For more nursery and room decorating ideas check out Project Nursery.